Governor Christine Todd Whitman to keynote Tanner Day at Maxwell

The Honorable Christine Todd Whitman, former EPA Administrator (2001 – 2003) and former New Jersey Governor, will deliver the keynote address at Tanner Day at Maxwell, a series of lectures and panel discussions focused on the “Future of Citizenship and Public Service” in partnership with the National Academy of Public Administration.  The one-day, highly interactive symposium will bring together thought leaders, practitioners, and academics from across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to address some of the big challenges facing our local, state, national governments and nonprofits.

The event will begin at 8:00 am on Wednesday, October 4, in Goldstein Auditorium at the Schine Student Center at Syracuse University. RSVP (required). The full agenda can be found at www.maxwell.syr.edu/tanner/.

Public service has been severely challenged by several long-term trends: declining public trust in government and low public esteem; political polarization, partisanship and incivility; negative press coverage; and greater direct political attack on government from different groups and institutions.

Many observers have described public service as being in a state of crisis. In such a climate, how can the human capital for governing be secured and enriched? How can citizens across all sectors sustain and nurture their own commitments to public service?

Exploring these questions, Tanner Day at Maxwell will begin with keynote remarks by Governor Whitman, delivered as part of the Tanner Lecture on Ethics, Citizenship, and Public Responsibility, a public forum for exploring questions about ethical citizenship in provocative and challenging ways.  The series has been generously endowed by alumnus W. Lynn Tanner '75 PhD (PA), founder, CEO, and chairman of TEC Canada. The lecture series is coordinated by the Campbell Public Affairs Institute at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

Whitman is the president of The Whitman Strategy Group (WSG), an energy and environmental issues consulting firm. She served as EPA administrator under former President George W. Bush, promoting common-sense environmental improvements and championing regulations requiring non-road diesel engines to reduce sulfur emissions by more than 95 percent. She also led the agency to establish the first federal program to promote the redevelopment and reuse of previously contaminated industrial sites, also known as “brownfields.”

Prior to this, Whitman was elected the 50th governor of New Jersey in 1994, becoming the first woman to hold the post and serving until 2001. During her tenure as governor, she received bipartisan acclaim for preserving a record amount of the New Jersey state land as permanent green space. She is also credited for instituting the most comprehensive beach monitoring system in the U.S., which earned her recognition from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

Tanner Day at Maxwell is made possible by W. Lynn Tanner, the National Academy of Public Administration, the Louis A. Bantle Chair in Business and Government Policy at the Maxwell School, and the Campbell Public Affairs Institute at the Maxwell School.

Please RSVP to ensure your seat at this event. 

Video of the morning, lunch, and afternoon panels will be streamed live at https://www.maxwell.syr.edu/tanner/ . No recording of the keynote is permitted, except by members of the news media for b-roll purposes only and limited to the first three minutes without audio. Press must register in advance with Jessica Smith, jsmith13@syr.edu or via the RSVP link provided.